Tigers, Anderson Agree to $9.7M Deal

Published 8:00 pm, Wednesday, February 6, 2002

The Detroit Tigers and closer Matt Anderson _ the first overall pick in the 1997 amateur draft _ agreed Thursday to a $9.7 million, three-year contract.

The deal contains a club option for 2005 and, with performance bonuses, could be worth $16.45 million over four years.

Anderson, 25, replaced Todd Jones as the team's closer last season. Jones later was dealt to Minnesota.

Anderson, a right-hander whose fastball has broken 100 mph, was 3-1 with a 4.82 ERA and converted 22 of 24 save chances last season.

"We're excited to see another young talent like Matt commit to the Tigers and potentially forgo his first year of free agency," Detroit general manager Randy Smith said.

Anderson will be entering his fifth major league season. He has a career record of 13-5 with a 4.62 ERA and 23 saves.

His deal calls for yearly salaries of $1.8 million, $3.2 million and $4.3 million, and he can earn $100,000 in performance bonuses the first year and $400,000 in each of the following two seasons.

Detroit has a $6.25 million option with a $400,000 buyout. The 2005 salary would become guaranteed if he has a combined 100 games finished in the previous two seasons.

Anderson, who made $355,000 last season, had asked for $2.4 million in arbitration and had been offered $1.6 million.

During the offseason, the Tigers also signed starting pitchers Jeff Weaver ($22 million for four years) and Steve Sparks ($8 million for two years) and reliever Danny Patterson ($7 million for three years).